Just Make It Go Away
by Amanda Fair
Summary: Kurama  has returned from Demon World on a routine visit and stays at Kuwabara's house for the night. Kuwabara has been having horrible nightmares and the Fox finds himself with the job of comforting his human friend. Non-Slash


Author's Note: Characters are not…quite OOC. Just Kurama is more motherly here and Kuwabara less jock-ish (:

Disclaimer: I do not own YuYu/Kurama/Kuwabara. They belong to someone in Japan, I'm fairly certain.

Just Make It Go Away

Kurama returned home from the Demon Realm every two months or so. He usually visited his mother and then visited Kuwabara, Genki, and Keiko to update them on what was happening with Yusuke or even the political game itself. Usually, he told Kuwabara first and the orange-haired human would tell Keiko; the redhead stayed for a day or so with his mother and then returned.

This time when he came and after he spoke to Kuwabara, he did something different. Kuwabara always asked him if he wanted to spend the night there, if he had a place to go. Kurama always did, to his mother's house. But this time, his mother, stepfather, and stepbrother had to go away for a few days on business and didn't know Kurama was coming.

So this time when Kuwabara asked, Kurama said, "Yes".

That was several hours ago and Kuwabara had already gone to bed. He had been looking very tired and…miserable that day, Kurama had asked what was wrong. The human boy claimed high school was a killer and Shizuru (who was spending the night with Keiko) woke him up extremely early every morning.

Kurama sensed something else was the matter but didn't pry. Instead, he took to his room for the evening, bid his human friend goodnight, and shut the door. He didn't go right to sleep and instead stayed up into the night, planning for the Demon World Tournament, which was now a short two weeks away. There were many details to go over, battle strategies and plants to categorize. Humans were so frail and needed far more sleep then demons.

Hours passed without pause or rest, as Kurama poured over his plans and racked his brains on all the many ways he could go about the fights. He would have kept at his planning and plotting for hours more but a sound reached his sensitive fox ears. Kurama glanced up at the clock and narrowed his eyes when he read it was 3 in the morning.

Kuwabara complained of how tired he was when Shizuru woke him so he shouldn't be up and Shizuru herself wouldn't be back till tomorrow afternoon. So, it wasn't them…or was it? Kurama was not prone to paranoia but he heard something and being someone who believed in being safe rather then sorry, he had to investigate.

Standing up from his desk, Kurama stealthily opened his bedroom door and stepped out into the hall. Before making a move in any direction, he paused and shut his eyes, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. After a second, the sound came again, a soft and breathy sound trailing down one of the hallways.

_Odd. _Kurama thought as his emerald eyes narrowed, _it's coming from Kuwabara's room. _ Perplexed, Kurama walked silently down the hall to his human friend's bedroom. Stopping at the door, it was obvious to even human ears that there was noising coming from that bedroom, despite the fact the door was shut and there were no lights on.

Debating for a second, Kurama decided to reach out and gently push open the door, entering the room quietly. Scanning the room quickly for enemies or intruders, Kurama settled his gaze on the bed and instantly understood what the noise was and where it was coming from.

Kuwabara lay stretched out in his bed, the covers twisted around, as he turned from left to right fitfully, hands twitching on the sheets. From the moonlight coming in through one of the windows, Kurama could see the faint sheen of sweat on his brow, the way his eyeballs moved just behind the lid, frantically looking at something only he could see…how his lips murmured words without a sound.

He was having a dream…or rather…a nightmare.

"No…no!" Kuwabara breathed, accounting for the noise Kurama heard, and the Fox Demon moved towards the bed, his eyes full of concern.

"No, Toguro! Don't touch me…Sensui! Leave Urameshi…leave him alone…no…!" Kuwabara groaned in his sleep, twisting this way and that as he tried to escape the demons of dream. Kurama's eyes widened imperceptible as he heard the whispered words of his human friend, understanding filling his mind.

Of all the opponents Kuwabara had faced, none were more scaring then Elder Toguro, who had nearly killed him and caused him to doubt his worth on the Urameshi Team, and Sensui who had slaughtered his best friend right in front of his very eyes. Kurama had often wondered if Kuwabara had nightmares about those dark times but the cheerful human always seemed so immune to darkness and pain that went with these nightmares.

_Perhaps I judged him incorrectly. Perhaps he is like me: An intelligent actor. _Kurama thought to himself and frowned at the thought, sorrow lingering in his mind. Kuwabara was such a cheerful, oafish sort and it seemed so wrong for him to fight off demons in his mind.

Kurama's thoughts were interrupted as Kuwabara started to half shout, half moan "no" over and over again. Quickly, the fox demon leaned forward and reached his hand out to touch the human, to rouse him from the demon filled dreams. But he was too late.

Shooting up out of bed, Kuwabara shouted and reached forward, grabbing at whatever he could, in this case Kurama. Kurama allowed the human to grab onto him, clutch at him desperately as his breath came in short, desperate gasps.

"Take it easy, Kuwabara. It's okay…no one's here…just me, just Kurama." Kurama soothed in his gentlest voice, devoid of the ice that was Yoko Kurama. The human gasped several times more but his frantic movement ceased and instead he fell limp in Kurama's arms. The fox demon lowered him back onto the pillows and winced when he saw Kuwabara's face, covered in sweat and white as a sheet.

"Oh, Kuwabara. Why didn't you tell anyone you had nightmares?" Kurama whispered painfully, reaching out a hand to brush back Kuwabara's growing bangs in the tender way his mother had when soothing him after a bad night. The human had shut his eyes as he breathed but now he pried them open and the deep black depths locked onto Kurama.

"I've only been…having them for the past couple of months. Ever since you told me about…about the new tournament." Kuwabara said, his voice still ragged and weak. Kurama nodded and excused himself briefly, going into Kuwabara's bathroom to grab a towel. Returning, he gently reached out and wiped Kuwabara's face, frowning as he did so.

Poor Kuwabara looked so tired and so unlike the cheerful man the fox sprit was used to during the happy daytime hours.

"Why did they start, Kuwabara? Does Shizuru know about this?" Kurama asked in concern, certain that if Shizuru had known she would have warned him or not gone to Keiko's that night. Surely, she wouldn't have left her brother in such a state like this. Kuwabara shook his head and Kurama pulled back his hand, dropping the towel on the bedside table.

"No man, I haven't told her. I don't usually make a whole lotta noise…nothing a human can hear, anyway." Kuwabara muttered and sat up, pushing his back against the headboard of the bed. Kurama decided on something and sat down on the bed beside him, as Kuwabara was sitting mostly in the middle.

The small part of his mind and heart that was tender and loving, something born from years of being with his beloved human mother, told him there was something coming. A storm building inside the tormented human that was about to break.

"Why the dreams?" Kurama asked and Kuwabara shut his eyes, as though to block out something. The fox spirit could see how he struggled to swallow and his hands clutched at the blankets, as though in some sort of mental anguish.

Finally, he spoke in a tortured whisper that Kurama had no trouble hearing or understanding.

"It's the tournament. Last time we were in one of those damn things, everyone nearly died at the hands of that bastard Toguro. Then, because of it, out came Sensui and Urameshi died…he died, man! I couldn't stop him, couldn't do anything…cause I was too weak. Now he's in another tournament and I can't even go watch it, can't even try and help him. What happens if he dies for good this time?" Kuwabara whispered and his voice failed him at the end and he squeezed his eyes shut, as though to stop a barrage of tears threatening to fly free. Kurama lowered his head as he realized what was causing these horrible nightmares, why his friend was in so much pain.

"Why happens if he dies and I ain't even there to…tell him how much his…friendship means…to me?" Kuwabara chocked and leaned forward suddenly, burying his face in his hands. Kurama could only stare in shock as he watched one of his few human friends begin to cry into his hands, broad shoulder shaking with silent tears.

_It must have been bad to start this…must have been bad to break him. _Kurama pushed the thoughts away as he decided not to win this one by thinking it through or planning ahead. The part of him that lived and loved because of his tenderhearted mother took over and he did the only thing he could.

Leaning forward, Kurama reached out and pulled Kuwabara onto his chest, shocking the human. For an instant, Kuwabara glanced up and Kurama's heart (his unbeating, demon heart) broke to see the tears on his face, how red his eyes were slowly turning.

"It's okay, Kuwabara." Kurama said and his voice in infinitely gentle as in those words he assured him, "It's okay to cry, it's okay to break, it'll be okay in the future". Kuwabara, so young to have suffered so much as he was not even 16, lost all pretense of pride or wanting to appear strong in front of his demon friend. Instead, he let Kurama pull him forward and found himself flinging his long, strong arms around the redhead and burying his face in Kurama's chest.

Kuwabara's sobs were harsh and shook both their bodies as Kurama hugged him to his chest tightly, whispering "shh" and soothing nothings in his ear. He freed one of his hands and gently brushed it through Kuwabara's short orange locks, trying to soothe him as his mother once had during his nightmares.

After nearly a half hour of desperate sobs and weeping, Kuwabara finally spent all of his tears and went limp in Kurama's arms. Kurama leaned back against the headboard and allowed Kuwabara to use his chest/shoulder as a pillow as he panted.

Kurama began to speak, absently trailing long tender fingers across Kuwabara's cheek to wipe away his tears.

"It's okay, Kuwabara. It doesn't feel that way, I know, but it is okay. Yusuke is strong now, much stronger then before, and these aren't tournaments to the death. He has no ultimate rival who's greatest wish is crushing him, like last time. He will fight and win or fight and lose, but he will not die. You have my word on that, Kuwabara, and I do not lie to you. You may tell him how much your friendship means to you when he returns." Kurama spoke gently as he brushed fingers across Kuwabara's face, trailing it through his hair. He had learnt, through being around humans all his life, how necessary and comforting touch was to humans. In demon world, there was none of this and somehow, Kurama thought more demons would be happier if they were more like humans in this area.

"I'm stupid, aren't I?" Kuwabara's voice was muffled by his exhaustion and Kurama's shirt. The elder demon laughed.

"No, you most certainly aren't. You are so very brave and strong, Kuwabara, to have lasted this long and to have been this strong. It's amazing. And before you ask, tears do not make you weak and I think no less of you." Kurama said gently and Kuwabara nodded, his breathing coming easier. Kurama knew in a matter of moments, the young human would be asleep, half laying on Kurama. And somehow, this didn't bother him.

"Why don't you go to sleep, Kuwabara? I promise I won't leave you." Kurama said and leaned back against a pillow to make it more comfortable, as he damned any plans to figure out the coming fights. Kuwabara needed him more and he would much rather be helping his young friend then making plans on how to destroy other demons.

Kuwabara muffled a reply as Kurama reached out for one of his blankets and slung it around Kuwabara, to keep him warm during the night.

"You promise?" Kuwabara asked and relaxed further, his head pillowed on Kurama's chest and his arms wrapped lightly around him. Kurama chuckled softly and nodded, though Kuwabara couldn't even see in the darkness.

"I promise, little one." Lightly placing his arms around Kuwabara. On impulse, he leaned forward and lightly kissed Kuwabara's head, deciding on using every method his mother had used on him. In a way, Kuwabara was so young, he could be Kurama's child…over a thousand years and a million experiences separated him.

_Yes, perhaps I'll adopt him…tomorrow. _Kurama thought sarcastically to himself, though the thought did not repulse him. Instead, he leaned his head back and shut his eyes, listening to the soothing sounds of Kuwabara's breathing, allowing it to lull him into a dreamless sleep.

Author's Note: Review? Please? Five seconds of your time and I'm happy and a smiling idiot for HOURS.


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